


Fan the flames

by TheWild



Category: Gintama
Genre: F/M, Not angsty, Romance, Slow Burn, but he means well i'm sure, gintoki's kind of a dick sometimes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-16
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-02-03 06:08:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12742533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWild/pseuds/TheWild
Summary: There’s no game sweeter than playing with fire.





	1. Aftermath

You’d expected Yoshiwara to be your last home and a short stay, for that matter, but when talk of a White Demon causing an uproar reached your ear you couldn’t help but be curious. Now that the sun was back- literally and figuratively- you had taken a step outside your gorgeous cage to go see the man that took down a Yato clansman.

That, and you’d respectfully taken a step back from working in the brothel, instead focusing on your penchant for accountancy and finances. 

It had taken a while for your eyes to adjust to natural lighting instead of the dim spotlights continuously fixed on you- but the feeling of sun kissing your skin was refreshing and made you want to take off your clothing to bask in its warmth.

Alas, that was extremely inappropriate, so you didn’t. 

Just as you were approaching Otose’s Snack Bar- Tsukuyo had been very clear that they lived above it and if there was yelling about rent, you were probably at the right place- you abruptly got pulled into an alley nearby. Sweaty palms caged your face against the wall and a man- couldn’t be older than 30- was breathing down your cheek.

“You’re a courtesan, right? How much?”

He whispers it as if he wants to be secretive, and people passing in the main street actually think you’re just a couple being intimate.

“I actually stopped working at the brothel-”

He doesn’t let you finish.

“Come on, just one go!”

You clutch the present you’d gotten for your saviour closer and shake your head.

“Please, leave me alo-”

You don’t get to finish when a strange hand covers the creep’s face completely, dragging him back and smashing the back of his head into the opposite wall.

“I don’t want any sekuhara in my back alley. Next thing you know the police are going to accuse me,” a bored voice drawls and you let your eyes wander over to your rescuer- a tall man with broad shoulders, a finger up his nose and wild silver hair.

“Thank you,” you bow respectfully, fixing your kimono.

“You shouldn’t hang around back alleys, lady,” he continues, still as disinterested as before. It was strangely comforting that he didn’t give you any funny looks because of your updo or your clothes that gave away what you’d been doing all your life.

“I’m looking for Yorozuya Gin-chan,” you say calmly- your hand brushes away some stray hairs and you notice his eyes are deadpan and bored. What a peculiar person.

“The one and only,” he grins- and though it hardly makes him look any less handsome it’s a toothy grin with sharp canines and a certain edge to it. You give another bow and hand him the box.

“A present. For your work at Yoshiwara.”

* * *

He’d begrudgingly led you inside his apartment, where a younger girl was staying as well- you’d kept quiet but you did wonder why a teenager was living with him because if anything, they didn’t look related- and had given you a cup of tea while he looked inside.

You’d basically just wrapped up your most valuable things- a golden comb, carefully crafted chopsticks and a brooch in the shape of a sakura tree- because you’d gotten those from customers and were nothing more than a memory to you. To other people, however, they could be worth a lot.

“I thought you were gonna be another country bumpkin giving us pumpkin slices but this is completely different,” Yorozuya Gin-chan says while he studies the comb- he’s interrupted when the girl grabs it for herself and her eyes turn into stars.

“Can we really have this, nee-chan?”

“Sure. I don’t really need it anymore,” you muse, sipping your tea quietly and gracefully.

“How’d you find us?” Gintoki asks and for a second you wonder if he means it with a hint of malice- he seems overly protective when he makes the statement and you stop yourself from shrugging.

“Tsukuyo-san told me who helped us. And I needed to go to Edo to catch a train to the countryside,” you explain it as calmly as you can, licking your lip because you’re so used to trying to drink in a sexy manner- and you know he’s staring.

“The countryside?”

“I’m going to visit my family and then look for a job to support them,” you pause, “a decent job.”

The bite that’s added onto the last part doesn’t escape Yorozuya Gin-chan’s ears and you lock eyes with him when his eyebrow raises.

“I’d give anything to be able to have sex for a job.”

Your eyes lower in disappointment at his statement- surely he knows about the kidnappings and rape and the murders, women being handled like cattle- but years of no-speaking-unless-spoken-to leave you quiet.

“Thank you for the tea. I hope you enjoy the gift.”

You stand up calmly and give another bow before you are headed towards the door- you are held back by a hand on your arm and the girl with the bright orange hair and big blue eyes looking up at you expectantly.

“Can you teach me how to put on makeup some time, nee-chan?”

You’d decline but her smile is worth so much money you can’t help but give an affirmative nod while Yorozuya Gin-chan starts complaining in the background.

* * *

The train ride is boring and you’d forgotten to get a lunch somewhere so your stomach is growling and howling. You’re glad most of the passengers are sleeping- it is a long drive after all. You’d tried reading a book and sleeping as well, but your eyes were always focused on the one picture you’d kept of your family and you couldn’t help but wonder if they’d recognize you after 10 years.

When you got off- finally, you needed to stretch your legs and visit the bathroom- in the rural village, you noticed it hadn’t changed at all. The same roads ran along the rice fields like they had before you were taken away- and though you were sure there were different people, the sounds of old ladies gossiping or children playing sounded so awkwardly  _ comfortable  _ that you stood outside the station for at least half an hour before finally getting a move on.

“Excuse me,” you startle an older lady that was opening her flower shop, but she gives you a smile once she sees you, “I’m looking for the Moriyama family’s house.”

“Oh, old Ken’ichi’s and Natsuko’s house? It’s right down the road from here. You a relative?”

You swallow the lump in your throat as you look toward the shack she is pointing at- it looks slightly better or perhaps your memories are just too muddled.

“Something like that,” you smile before bowing and walking ahead.

You didn’t want people to scream about lost daughters before you knew that your parents were happy to see you, and for some reason you weren’t sure.

When you knock on the door, the wood creaks and moans and you hear someone moving over and opening it- a handsome young man with a tan and black hair in a ponytail. He’s quiet for a few seconds- studying your face and hair and you notice everything clicks in place when he embraces you and lifts you off the ground.

“Onee-chan! We thought we’d never see you again!”

“Makoto, put me down!” you giggle despite your statement, your younger brother obliging and putting you down with great care- he was at least a foot taller than you now, “I was scared you wouldn’t recognize your big sister.”

“Are you kidding? We’ve been waiting for your return!”

“Are mom and dad inside?”

You figured you’d leave it at that- you had 3 more brothers and knew your mother had been pregnant around the time you’d been sent away, but it would be enough to see them.

He nods and pulls you inside- you almost stumble and fall inside but hold yourself upright- to see your parents sitting there, just like you remember them.

Your father a large, strong man- though his hair was grey now and he had wrinkles you’d recognize those warm brown eyes anywhere- and your mother with her silky black hair and small hands. They look up from their meal and you can see it takes them considerably less time to recognize you compared to your brother- when they do, your mother starts crying and your father gives you a warm smile.

You are finally home again.

* * *

You spend your first day catching up with them and your siblings- explaining what happened and how you are going to be productive and find a job you love now- as well as hearing how your youngest brother was going to college and wanted to become an astronaut. 

You also met your baby sister, and though you’d never known each other before she’s apparently heard plenty of stories about you and you hit it off immediately. 

“Yoshiwara finally saw the sun again and I decided to go see the people who mattered to me the most,” you smile sincerely now, not forced or out of force of habit, and your mother lets out a sniffle again. Asuka, your sister, is beaming with excitement.

“You had such a hard time but you made it back here! It’s really moving,” she practically shouts while she clings to your arm and you affectionately lean into her.

“How have things been over here? It’s good to hear little Jun is making a name for himself,” you state as Makoto and your parents seem to quiet down- their expressions turning sour.

“The village isn’t doing well. We’re doing fine, not to worry-” your father seems to know you’d do that, “but there’s a shady company just at the border stopping our export.”

Makoto grunts.

“I’d love to pummel those guys. They took Shota and practically brainwashed him.”

“So that’s why he wasn’t home,” you muse, setting down your tea.

“Shota felt...jealous of Jun and Makoto. Jun because he was the first to get a shot at an education and Makoto because he was the eldest, besides you,” your mother explains it with care and it clearly hurts her to think about it, as if she’d done something wrong to make your youngest brother feel like he was unworthy.

“I know some freelancers who might...help out,” you say it quietly because deep down you know they won’t take a job with no pay, for away from Edo. But it seemed so easy to ask them.

“Freelancers?” your mother wonders out loud and you turn to look at her.

“The people who freed Yoshiwara. I don’t know if they’d do it though.”

* * *

You can’t believe you are calling the people you’d visited just a few days ago.

_ “We told you we don’t want any newspapers and if it’s one of you scammers- it’s not you, I don’t know you, go get your rice somewhere else-” _

“I’m sorry, I thought I was connected to the Yorozuya Gin-chan,” you quietly apologize at the obsessive rant that’s thrown your way and just when you’re about to hang up the payphone, you hear a splutter.

_ “No, you are! Are you a customer?!” _

“I, uh…” you’ve never really done this and it’s excruciatingly awkward, “I visited you a few days ago. The prostitute who gave you the comb?”

_ “Oh, yeah,” _ the voice on the other side suddenly turns serious,  _ “you lost? You want me to play your personal Google Maps?” _

You don’t know why this man always seemed irritated but it was becoming really tiring, really fast.

“I am not, in fact, lost,” you retort with an air of nobility, “I have a...job proposal. But no money.”

_ “Well, then, I have nothing but my good advice to offer you. We don’t take free work. We don’t need any exposure.” _

You bit your lip and you knew he was still listening- he hadn’t put down the phone and you could hear the girl in the background playing with a dog.

“I’m sure you know I can...compensate for that.”

You thought you were done with using sex as a commodity but if it meant helping out your family it wasn’t that bad.

_ “You escape Yoshiwara just so you can offer up your body again? Man, Tsukuyo knows some weird folks.” _

You leave him to his rant, waiting for a reply.

_ “Gin-chan, who’s calling?” _

_ “Comb-girl.” _

_ “Oh my, let me talk to her! I want to thank her again! That thing’s amazing for getting phlegm out of Sadaharu’s fur-” _

_ “You’re supposed to use it yourself, you idiot!” _

_ “You’re an idiot!” _

“Excuse me?” you try- quietly and in the tone you used to display clear subordination because it’s all you’re used to.

_ “Ah, yeah, sorry. We’ve had an...uh...internal meeting about your request and we’ll take it. Granted that you’ll pay for our travel expenses.” _

“Of course,” you reply, “anything you want.”

_ “Oi, oi, you shouldn’t go telling a man you’ll give him anything he wants.” _

It sounds like a joke and feels like a funny jab but the tone with which he says it is anything but laughable.


	2. Walk

When they arrive by taxi, the first one to exit is a short, teenage boy with glasses and a neat haircut. Quickly after that, the girl with the orange hair and deep blue eyes gets out and the guy who’d lacked all qualities you’d expected as well.

“Thank you so much for coming over,” your mother starts, and you find it endearing how big her smile is, “our daughter informed us-”

“You look so good with your hair down!” the strange girl exclaims as she bounces over to you- you can’t help your slight blush at the genuine compliment.

“Thank you,” you smile, “let me introduce my family. These are my parents, Moriyama Ken’ichi and Natsuko, as well as my younger siblings Makoto and Asuka.”

Yorozuya Gin-san runs his eyes along your family and gives a whistle before turning to his entourage.

“This here is China Girl, and the boring one is Glasses. I’m-”

Before he gets a chance to say his name, ‘China Girl’ kicks him in the stomach and sends him flying into one of the rice fields. 

“Sorry about Gin-san. I’m Shinpachi,” the teenage boy says while giving a polite bow, “and this is Kagura. Now, what can we do for you?”

* * *

Your family was leading both teenagers to your house- chattering about food and other things while you were left wondering whether or not you should go help Yorozuya Gin-san.

On one hand, he was a complete dickbag and besides doing the right thing a few weeks ago, he’d given you no signs that he was going to turn friendly any time soon.

On the other hand, you couldn’t help yourself.

You followed the path that he’d made and when you found him- lying down and groaning- you carefully crouched down.

“Are you alright?” you softly ask- you wanted to reach out for his hand but decide against it. 

“What do you think? That crazy girl and her inhuman strength. I was telling the truth, you know-”

You shoosh him with a finger to his lips- it seemed easier than just interjecting and telling him you weren’t up for one of his weird rants.

“Let me help you get up,” you smile, getting up and reaching out your hand.

He takes it- his fingers rougher and warmer than yours- and pulls himself up. The sheer force of it sends you staggering but you find that he’s still got a hold on your hand until you are standing up straight again. It makes you blush slightly- it’s only a slight dust on your cheeks but his hand lingers a second too long. You can’t help it. 

While you’re fanning away the heat slightly, he’s already walking out of the field with a confident stagger.

You follow with small steps and your mind trying to focus on the task at hand.

* * *

Kagura’s already made herself completely at home- she’s lounging on one of the pillows listening to Asuka talk about rice. For some reason, she seems completely indulged in the story and you could swear if she looked at your sister any more intently her eyes would turn into little steaming rice grains.

“Ah, there you are! We were just going to prepare dinner!”

Shinpachi, the polite one, follows your mother to the kitchen- you guess he’s going to help her, even though you don’t remember telling them to prepare any food- and the oldest of the bunch, Yorozuya Gin-san, haphazardly throws his boots in the entryway and sits with crossed legs at the table.

Carefully, you sit down next to Makoto. Just so you’d have a bit of a buffer if the three of them would start a fight again.

Soon enough, there’s all kinds of food spread on the table and even though you first thought your siblings were rude during dinner- sometimes snatching away the last pieces of something they’d liked- these three are on a completely different level.

All the meat disappears in a matter of seconds- they’re yelling, fighting, at a certain point Kagura even throws her bowl at the silver-haired man. You try to make sense of it but somehow start eating faster- more impolite- just so you’d be able to grab a bite of some of your favourite foods.

“So, Moriyama-san?” Shinpachi suddenly asks you, the three of them already done and patting their bellies contently as your mother is looking at them with a motherly amusement, “what can we do for you?”

“Hey, hey, hey, four eyes. I’m the boss here,” Gin sharply retorts, but the only thing the glasses-sporting boy does is scoff.

Carefully, you place your bowl on the table and fold your hands in your lap.

“There’s a company at the border of the village, stopping exports. The people here can’t make any money,” you carefully state, eyes locked onto the bowl as you wait to continue. You first want to know whether or not their freelancing extends to something like this.

“Our son-” your father starts but your mother tries to hush him, but they exchange a look of understanding, “he works there.”

“Another one?” Gin huffs impolitely, “what are you, rabbits?”

“It’s a shady business,” your father adds, willfully ignoring the comment. You find the courage to look up again and find yourself locking eyes with Gin-san- he seems positively unimpressed.

“It seems more like a matter that you’d take up with police,” Shinpachi retorts quietly. 

“At least stay a few days. Let us show you. Then you can decide whether or not you want to help,” your mother says it with a hint of desperation. 

So they’d tried the police already.

The room stays quiet for a short while while everyone helps clean up- the sun is setting, already, and your parents did have work in the morning. You and Asuka had taken to cleaning out your shared room so the three of them could stay there- no hotels to speak of, after all, around here- and you didn’t mind a futon in the living room.

* * *

It takes a while before the house settles down, mainly because the trio made a lot of noise at any time of day, but when it does, you quietly slip on your sandals and throw on your haori. Some fresh night air would do you good.

When you find the black boots missing from the entry way, you worry slightly, but figure that if the boss really wanted to leave the two kids would have joined him.

The countryside isn’t anything special, even during the night, but it was a sight for sore eyes to be able to count the stars and see the moon. You were so engulfed in the faint ivory lights sprawled across the sky that you hadn’t looked where you stepped- you let out a yelp when your sandal hit a rock and the strap sprung loose, sending you careening forward.

The ground was hard and unwelcoming- you turned on your back and felt a pang of pain in your hips but were more ticked off by the sandal that now lay there, broken straps dejectedly on the sand. 

“Well,” you sigh, pulling off the other sandal and carefully getting up, dusting the sand off of your clothes.

“What’s a place like you doing in a girl like this?” a voice slurs and you recognize it almost instantly- it’s Gin and he’s positively hammered.

“You went drinking?” you ask, eyebrow raised. He shrugs.

“Juuuuust a little.”

“I could’ve poured you some sake at home.”

He stumbles closer and inspects the scene- brows furrowing at the broken strap and you see him fiddling with it to no avail. You let the silence wash over the two of you- not in the mood to deal with drunken rambling- staring back up at the sky. 

“There, there, there,” he suddenly grins, holding up the sandal, “I knew I could do it.”

He’s tied it back together with a messy bow and it looks like it’ll just pop right back off if you even try to walk in it, but the gesture is endearing- too endearing. You bite back melancholic feelings and crouch down in front of him.

“I don’t think I can walk in that.”

“Oh, come on, this always works in shoujo mangas.”

The difference between his usually sarcastic and impolite demeanor and the light-hearted slurring he’s pulling now is catching you off guard too much. You’d been so sheltered from genuine care and love that you couldn’t help but feel like a highschooler out on a date.

“I’ll try it, then,” you smile and your eyes meet for a second- you can’t make out what he’s feeling but that is probably the liquor taking over.

He carefully puts it down and you slip your foot in- but when you lift your leg to take a step, it breaks again and falls down on the sand with a dejected ‘thud’.

Gin seems to ponder the situation for a few seconds before he carefully picks it up and launches the sandal into one of the fields.

“What...what are you doing?” 

You try your best to stay calm but that was your only pair of sandals.

“Well, if it doesn’t work and you can’t fix it,” he stands up and looks in your eyes again, “why keep it?”

There’s clearly something more to that statement- he still sounds drunk but at the same time like he’s lived a hundred lives- and your hands fold closer to your chest.

“You’re right,” you smile, looking down at the ground, “but sometimes you just need a professional to fix it, right?”

He waits.

“That, and how am I going to get home with only one sandal?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty short, sorry! I really want to try a bit harder on this one but it's proving to be hard x)


End file.
